Foreigners and Institutions Smile with Robot Investments on KOSDAQ

Although the KOSDAQ index has risen more than 7% this year, recovering to the 700 level, the financial situation of individual investors' accounts has not improved. While the stock prices of listed companies favored by foreign and institutional investors have risen, those preferred by individuals have remained sluggish. Individuals mainly invested in the bio sector, whereas foreigners and institutions purchased stocks related to robotics and the IT sector.

According to the financial investment industry on the 26th, from the 2nd to the 24th of this month, individuals recorded a net purchase of 630 billion KRW in the KOSDAQ market. Among the top 10 stocks by net purchase, only two companies, Alteogen and Koyoung, posted returns exceeding the index's growth rate.

The stock most purchased by individuals was cosmetics company VT, with purchases amounting to 55.9 billion KRW this month. The average purchase price per share of VT was 36,840 KRW, higher than the current price of 33,000 KRW. The unrealized loss rate stands at 10.4%.

Individuals continued net buying, expecting improved performance as the company expands overseas business mainly in China and North America. Hana Securities estimated that VT would achieve consolidated sales of 490 billion KRW and operating profit of 140 billion KRW this year, representing increases of 17% and 25%, respectively, compared to the previous year. Despite expectations of improved performance, the stock price has been sluggish this year, falling 17.5% compared to the end of last year. The consumption sentiment contraction following the '12·3 Emergency Martial Law Incident' also affected the stock price. As estimates suggested that the operating profit for Q4 last year slightly missed market expectations, foreigners and institutions reduced their holdings.

Among the top 10 stocks by individual net purchases, pharmaceutical and bio sectors such as HLB, Hugel, Alteogen, D&D Pharmatech, Seegene, and Peptron accounted for the majority. Except for Alteogen, which is recording a 13.8% return, the investment performance is disappointing. Individuals who invested in Hugel, which had high expectations for performance improvement, are currently facing nearly a 10% loss.

In contrast to individuals, stocks invested in by foreigners and institutions generally show favorable price trends. This year, foreigners recorded a net sale of 540 billion KRW in the KOSDAQ market. While generally reducing their stock holdings, they focused on buying Sungkwang Bend, Pharma Research, Cafe24, Rainbow Robotics, and Hygen R&M.

Sungkwang Bend, purchased for 41.4 billion KRW, rose 8.1% compared to the foreigners' average purchase price. Additionally, Hygen R&M, which has shown a steep stock price increase amid expectations for growth in the robotics market, recorded an evaluation return of 47.7%. Sungkyu Heo, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., explained, "Hygen R&M is strengthening cooperation with robot companies manufacturing collaborative robots and humanoids," adding, "Orders are increasing mainly from domestic robot manufacturers." He further stated, "Existing industrial robots move continuously within a fixed area following standardized algorithms, whereas humanoids and quadruped robots perform complex movements requiring more than 20 actuators."

Institutions purchased stocks such as EcoPro BM, Koyoung, Daewoo Electronics Materials, EO Technics, Inox Advanced Materials, Robotis, and PSK Holdings. Koyoung, purchased for 56.4 billion KRW, rose about 13.5% compared to the institutions' average purchase price. The stock prices of Robotis and PSK Holdings are also 16.9% and 14.5% higher than their average purchase prices, respectively. Koyoung's stock price has rapidly increased since its brain surgery medical robot (Geniant Cranial) received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Seongheon Lee, a researcher at iM Securities, expressed optimism, saying, "The sales growth rate of Koyoung's surgical robots will accelerate year by year," and "Approval is expected in Japan during the first half of this year."

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